EU3: Silverstone: Ford Racing preview

Mustang returns to europe in defense of title
Dearborn, Mich. - The Ford Mustang, the iconic American
pony car that has a long pedigree of race victories and series
championships in both North America and Europe, will once again take on ...

Mustang returns to europe in defense of title

Dearborn, Mich. - The Ford Mustang, the iconic American
pony car that has a long pedigree of race victories and series
championships in both North America and Europe, will once again take on the
world's best on some of Europe's most historic race tracks in 2008.
The FIA GT3 European Championship and the GT4 European Cup both begin their
2008 seasons at Silverstone Circuit in England this weekend, and Ford
Racing's 5.0-liter Cammer-powered FR500 Mustangs will be competing for
championships in both series.

"We have always said 'Mustang was born to race,' and the GT4 championship
last year was just another in a long line of great race wins and
championships the brand has been involved with for more than 40 years,"
said Jamie Allison, Manager of the Ford Racing Performance Group, North
America. "We're thrilled that race fans worldwide have a chance to see
Mustang race against the very best and we're even more pleased to be
associated with Matech Racing, who is running a full line of Ford Racing
5.0-liter Cammer-powered competition Mustangs and Ford GT's in FIA GT3."

Eric de Doncker won the inaugural GT4 European Cup championship last season
behind the wheel of a Mustang FR500GT4 and will again campaign the full
season in 2008 to defend his title. However, de Doncker will also pull
double duty as the co-driver of one of three Mustang FR500GT3's that Matech
Racing has entered to run in the FIA GT3 Championship.

Matech is Ford Racing's exclusive distributor of FIA homologated
competition Mustangs in Europe and also fields three Ford GT's in FIA GT3
that are powered by Ford Racing's 5.0L Cammer engine.

"It was really a pleasure to race the Mustang and work with Ford Racing and
Multimatic," said de Doncker. "I think we started a good relationship, and
my love for Mustangs is even bigger. The goal was to win the title, and to
be able to achieve my goal made me very proud for my staff and for myself
as a driver. But I have to thank Ford Racing and Multimatic for building
such a great and reliable car for me to race."

The FIA GT3 Championship was launched in 2006 as a way to expand
manufacturer involvement in motorsports as well as to help amateur drivers
across Europe. The GT4 European Cup started in 2007 and was created to
extend the concept of the FIA GT3 series to a less expensive second-tier GT
category of racecar with an emphasis on reduced costs, high reliability and
the use of production parts.

Ford Racing Mustang Competition Ladder

With multiple Mustang race cars available to competitors of varying skill
levels, Ford Racing now provides customers a racing ladder - all within one
manufacturer - to climb up through the ranks of professional racing.

"Throughout its history, Mustang has proven that it can dominate on every
level of competition," said Jamie Allison. "The Ford Racing competition
ladder offers race-prepared FR500 Mustangs available from any Ford
dealership in the U.S. and helps enthusiasts become a part of the rich
heritage of Mustang racing."

The Ford Racing ladder begins with the Ford Racing High Performance Driving
School at Miller Motorsports Park, located in Tooele, Utah, featuring
specially prepared school Mustangs. Designed for the high performance-
driving enthusiast, the school provides professional instruction ranging
from basic vehicle dynamics and car control to learning the fundamentals of
high performance driving.

The next rung on the ladder is the Mustang FR500S, which is the heart of a
new Mustang spec series, the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller
Cup, which will sanction its inaugural race at Road Atlanta on May 3rd.
Targeting racers looking to compete in an affordable, challenging V8-
powered rear-wheel drive car, the Mustang Challenge provides competitors
with a base to hone their driving skills and an exciting year-long schedule
to race against other semi-pro drivers.

Moving up the ladder puts racers behind the wheel of the Mustang FR500C,
which competes in the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series, and the FR500GT4,
which competes in the GT4 European Cup. Both cars are proven winners with
each having won championships in its first year of competition; the FR500C
the Grand-Am Cup championship in 2005 and the FR500GT4 the GT4 European Cup
in 2007.

At the top of the ladder sits both the Mustang FR500GT and FR500GT3, which
represent the ultimate race-bred Mustang. The FR500GT is currently being
homologated for Grand-Am Rolex GT and other applications, while the
FR500GT3 has already competed in select FIA GT3 European Championship races
and will be campaigned full-time in 2008.